Reading the Signs
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Tap an underlined Tamil word to explore its sound, meaning, and use.
uṟāa tavarpōṟ coliṉuñ ceṟāarco / lollai yuṇarap paṭum.
Someone who does not actually dislike you can say something sharp, and the sharpness will not survive the sentence. If you are the one who cares, you hear what the words are covering almost before you hear the words.
▸Other translations · Pope (1886) & Aiyar (1916)
“Though with their lips affection they disown, / Yet, when they hate us not, 'tis quickly known.”
“Though they feign to speak as strangers, the words of the loving will be seen through in an instant.”
Parimelazhagar’s commentary
13th century · public domainParimelazhagar’s own words come first, unaltered. The plain reading follows below.
உறாஅதவர் போல் சொலினும்= புறத்து நொதுமலர்போலக் கடுஞ்சொல் சொன்னாராயினும்; செறாஅர் சொல் ஒல்லை உணரப்படும்= அகத்துச் செறுதல் இலாதார் சொல் பிற்பயத்தல் குறையுற்றாரான் கடிதின் அறியப்படும்.
Source: Tamil Wikisource
Parimelazhagar reads this as the man speaking to himself. Though the woman speaks harshly on the surface, like a stranger who has nothing to do with him, the words of someone who carries no hatred within bear sweetness afterwards; and the man who wants her, standing in his own want, understands that very quickly.